Toyota / Lexus Front Strut, Control Arm, Ball Joint, Sway Bar Link Replacement
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Complete suspension replacement of typical worn out components: Complete strut, lower control arm with new bushings, lower ball joints and stabilizer/sway bar links.
Some typical wear out symptoms:
Control arm bushings - steering wheel vibration, steering wandering and clunking noises.
Struts - cupped tires, tire shake, wheel shimming or vibration, bottoming on rough roads, body sway while taking corners.
Ball Joints - clunking noise, front end vibration, uneven tire wear, loose or wandering steering wheel.
Stabilizer bar link - clunking noise, poor handling and loose steering wheel.
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1997 - 2003 Toyota Avalon, Solara, Camry & Lexus ES300
Parts and Specialty Tools:
(For ES300 97-01, Avalon 07-03, Camry 97-01, Solara 99-03)
Monroe "Quick-Strut" Front Suspension Struts:
Left:
amzn.to/2YoAU14
Right:
amzn.to/2UVPzyV
Moog Front Lower Control Arm:
Left:
amzn.to/2HH3zcG
Right:
amzn.to/2UZN2ne
Ball Joint:
amzn.to/2TwLlw9
Moog Sway / Stabilizer Bar Link:
Front Left:
amzn.to/2YpGDnC
Front Right:
amzn.to/2TA3QzC
ABN Axle Nut Socket, 30mm, 1/2" Inch Drive, 12 Point:
amzn.to/2HElQHy
Mountain RM6 Chrome Metric Box Wrench Set
amzn.to/2MLzVWf
Mountain MTNRM1214 Ratcheting Double Box Flex Wrench, 12x14mm
amzn.to/327YtwL
M12 Fuel 3/8" Ratchet (Bare Tool)
amzn.to/32abdCW
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He just created 3 time the work in getting the control arm bushing of the knuckle. All you need to do is loosen and raise (unscrew) the castle nut and then tune fork to separate the ball joint from the knuckle. This will create the room you need to get the ball joint off the knuckle. Safe yourself A LOT of work.
Whatever works for you.
This is the best all-in-one guide for the (older) Toyota Camry front suspension replacement. When tightening the three strut mount nuts to spec, it is easier done last after the car weight falls on struts and tires. Also a quick strut top mounting nut torque spec is lower than Toyota’s original.
I have replaced all these parts individually at different time. The hardest part for me was to remove the bolts off the lower control arm with a socket extender as it feels the extender is too loose.
On maintenance vs repair: all these suspension parts last long time but unlikely more than 200K miles. If one plans to drive 300K or 400K miles, it seems far better to simply replace them at half way point to save labor cost and to maximize the benefits of the new parts.
Hey great post! To make the job go easier and faster, get yourself an ac powered impact gun
or a 18v dc impact gun (Can't go wrong with the brushless Milwaukee's). When I go to the salvage yard for parts with my impact gun and sockets, I'm in and out of their in no time! There are a lot of cars out there with new parts. Like yourself, I've replaced every component one time or another on both the front and rear struts. The oem strut bumper is always worn down to nothing, the bellows ripped and if the suspension is rattling, the upper strut mount is usually shot. While most prefer getting a "complete" strut, I really don't mind transferring most everything from the old strut to the new strut. What I've noticed on most Toyota's at around 100k miles is the suspension starting to weaken. Also, hitting a good sized pot hole will damage the upper mount. I've noticed KYB and Sachs provide the longest longevity when it comes to struts. Monroe OE Spectrum's are also very good. Here's a video I did examining an old strut to determine if a complete strut is worthwhile getting: czcams.com/video/brzDRlApKlU/video.html
just get parts and complete repairs nice and EZ.to get done .thanks for advice .David
Good news and thanks for your post!
Highly detailed vids. Doing this job on a first generation Avalon should be no different with the same parts I think.
Correct.
Excellent demonstration. I will be doing this to my ES350 this summer to include tie rods and axles.
Glad it was helpful!
Great job .. but u just add extra hour to remove the lower arms..
Replace the shocks 1st and then
Loosen axle bolts
Remove 3 bolts that holds ball-joint
Control arm is free from knuckle 😉
Right ... And how do you replace the ball joint attached to the steering knuckle?
god job THO @4:40 you dont HAVE TO REMOVE AXLE TO get to the LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT, I searched AUTO1 ball joint removal, they had a trick! mayb if he was just taking the ball out alone and not the arm, he wldv done the trick..........thanks
Thanks for sharing!
@@hardlymovingpro curious what after market company do you go to for suspension toyota parts, i hear rockauto or 1a auto, offer good value and quality?? thanks!
I prefer rockauto.com as my go to source for name brand quality aftermarket parts. Very easy to make a warranty claim and find the invoice from which a claim can be made. I did a warranty claim after 3 years on a strut; no problem. If you want to save a little, you can cross reference the part # with Amazon. Sometimes you can get a better deal. But good luck making a warranty claim after 30 days. You have to go direct to the manufacturer.
@@hardlymovingpro thank you i appreciate that, so from your extensive experience as a mechanic and part tech, how would you rate FCS, KBY or Bilstein for shock/struts ( and other suspension parts ) for the toyota camry? I hear FCS offers best bang for the buck and as reliable as the other two? thank you!
For the price, quality and lifetime warranty, you can't go wrong with FCS.
Bonjour, si j'avais trouvé cette video avant je n'aurais pas passé 4 h a essayer de retirer l'écrou de la rotule inférieure tenue par 3 écrous!!!!
Merci de Bretagne
Merci pour votre message et vos commentaires!
Every video that I have seen on this topic only does the driver's side control arm. The right side on my 2005 Lexus ES330 required lifting the engine in order to free up the engine mount. How about it, guys? Do the right control arm in a video.
First off, your ES330 has a different engine and transmission mount setup than this video. Regardless of whether you're replacing the left or right control arm, the mount is in the way and must be removed to get access to the 2 horizontal bolts holding the control arm to the sub frame. Once the mount is removed, you can use the rest of this video to remove the control arm. Here's a video where I replaced the motor and transmission mounts on your chassis design: czcams.com/video/a67G6YAG3Sk/video.html
You are one Bad Man! Wow!
Thanks!
Great video, it will come in handy repairing my miley Avalon, should the suspension come up faulty, god forbid.
Thanks for your comment. Suspension components begin to show general signs of wear after 100,000 miles. The wear is so gradually that you're not aware of it until you notice the car bouncing all over the place when driver over rough roads.
Awesome videos! Thank you sir
Thanks!
The axles are known to fail causing a severe lateral shaking in the front end. With all of that work the axle would have been a no brainer.
I've notice that on Toyota passenger vehicles as of late before the boots split.
Great video. How come you didn't attach the stabilizer link until you finished both sides?
Thanks. Keeping both detach allows you to move the stabilizer bar with the link out of the way when installing the strut.
I wish they made the Lexus ES350 this easy, the motor mount is blocking the way of one of the bolts to the control arm. I'll have to put a piece of wood under a jack and try to lift the engine some to get behind there to loosen the bolt 🤦 Would you by chance have the torque specs to these suspension parts?
Sorry. Don't have the specs. I just use my torque gun until the bolt/nut stops moving. If you really want them, suggest you get a Haynes repair manual: amzn.to/3ONx5wM
Very nice . Well broken down and edited showing key points throughout. I have wrenched my 1988 4 runner from front to back and numerous issues on my wife's rx 330. (Timing belt, water pump & radiator) Not sure at 63 years if I want to tackle this. I assume an alignment would be advised after this. I would also want to do the rears as well on an all wheel drive. Quoted $2800 for 4 shock towers and 2 front A arms . What say you.?
The RX330 uses the 3MZFE engine and I have a video on how to do an complete TB & WP replacement. It's very do-able if you prepare with the right tools on-hand and you're not rushed. Here's the link: czcams.com/video/0rCVDLM2hzE/video.html
$2,800 is over the top. You should be able to do the job yourself with complete struts (comes with new springs, bellows, bumpers and mounts). The lower control arms (aka A arms) shouldn't cost more than $100 each ... Complete struts (try getting KYB brand) around $150 each. TB & WP kit ... around $150 - $200. You're looking at around $1,000 in parts if you do it yourself and you'll probably get better parts than the shop that quoted you $2,800. BTW ... I'm just about your age.
Id of told you to buy the parts and Id put em on for $700. Shops are crazy with there pricing. I did everything on my 2001 Lexus es300. Shop Ebay and buy from Detroit Axle. They have 10yr warranty on everything they sell and they undercut RockAuto and all the big online sellers. Its good quality parts. All brand new. Im 34. I bet you could do it with the right tools. Impacts etc.
my shop said it would have to lift the engine to replace the control arm on our 2004 es330... are they just trying to get more $ or are they serious? why would they have designed it like that?
The key word is 'lift' not remove. The side mounts must be detached and removed from the transmission or motor (based on what side you're working on) to get to the control arm mounting bolts. To remove the mount(s) the engine or transmission must be tilted. It's not that big of a deal. Adds around 10 - 15 minutes to the job ... 30 minutes total (removal / re-installation). That's for each wheel.
@@hardlymovingpro thanks for the reply! might give a few other shops in town a call, the shop it's at now said they've never worked on one like this before so I'm guessing their estimate was probably a lot higher than it should've been
@@bazilly Here's a video where I replace the motor mounts just so you can see what it's about: czcams.com/video/a67G6YAG3Sk/video.html
I changed the sway bar links in the front and the rear of my ES350 and I am still getting a clunking sound whenever I go over the slightest uneven road surface. Would worn out bushings on the control arms also make a similar sound? Thank you for making this video.
If front end clunking, could be upper strut mounts ... if rear end, sway bar bushings.
Did u figure it out?
thankyou man!
No problem!
How do you line up sway bar link to the struts I have a hard time to line up ..2010 Lexus rx450
Do you have both wheels off the ground?
Would a failed strut cause an intermittent banging/ clunking noise and or chirping/ squeaking? It goes away and then randomly starts but the car ultimately drives ok and no indicator lights. Coming from the rear driver side I think it’s a failed strut but not quite sure.
Could also be you stabilizer bar links as well as the stabilizer bar bushings, ball joints and control arm bushings. ODBD2 error codes (check engine light) are not tied to your suspension components.
@@hardlymovingpro
I just mentioned the lack ofindicator lights to emphasize that I know it’s definitely a suspension / wheel assembly issue. With a noise like that most mechanically uninclined people would fear something much worse.
But I Just put the girl on jack stands this morning and took the back wheels off the strut boots are torn and pushed all the way up, couldn’t see any leaking grease from any bushings or ball joints. The metal parts like sway bar and control arm are rusty towards the ends but solid. The only visual hint I can see for diagnosis is the mangled strut boot and the strut shaft looks like it’s extended downward as far as possible but that may just be the normal position. No play in the tires when I moved them north south or east to west but visual degradation on the struts for sure.
Luckily I just bought a cordless impact. Have an opportunity to buy a full set of flex head metric blue point combo wrenches for $180 that I think would make this job easier. Probably going to opt for struts with springs already installed to avoid compressing and replacing them and also replace the sway bar since they are pretty rusty and I’ll be down there anyway.
At 194k miles I think the original struts have outlived their lifespan.
Yup ... 194k miles is a lot of usage for original struts. If there are torn boots, I'd bet the strut stem bumpers are worn out as well. With good struts, you should not be able to bounce the car by pushing down on the trunk and hood.
Hi can you explain why you did not tighten the sway bar until you completed the other side?
If I have to move the bar around to get the link off the other side.
@@hardlymovingpro Thank you. I appreciate you very much - saved me some real money. Cheers.
My 1999 ES 300 steering wheel shakes when I brake. The rotors are new. How can I diagnose if a bad lower control arm or something else is the cause? If I can just pin point what is the cause of the shaking, I can figure out how to fix it. Thanks.
I'd take the rotors off and have them checked that they're not out-of-round. Even new rotors can be defective. Also, vibration can be caused by frozen caliper pins resulting in uneven pressure on the pads by the caliper piston.
What’s the cylindrical object interfering with removal of one of the chassis control arm bolts ( both LH& RH)on a Lexus 2007 es 350 ?
That's the side motor mount. Here's a video that'll show you how to remove it: czcams.com/video/a67G6YAG3Sk/video.html
So can you not replace the front bushings?
Better understand you have 2 bolts you need to remove than remove the nut on the back end to be able to pull out the arm.
Cost of replacement bushings and labor involved to replace the old and swap with the new ... Just not worth all the work when compared to a complete replacement part.
Leave the axle bolt extended beyond threads slightly so you don't damage axle threads. Take it from someone who damaged threads. No fun
Good to know.
Awesome video. Great editing. What year was this Avalon?
Thanks for your comment! Think it was a 2001.
@@hardlymovingpro perfect! Is it rather predictable when the control arm should be changed? Like after so many years? My friend is telling me that most cars on the road rarely have to have the control arm replaced. Did you change the other sides control arm?
Yes ... I swapped out both sides. It's that vertical rear bushing that takes a lot of stress and starts to tear away with time and mileage. Indications that its worn or on its way out occurs during either hard to moderate accelerator or braking with the remnants of the worn bushing moving around inside the control arm socket. The car will inadvertently pull or jerk to the right or left and back again. Control arm bushing wear is not a rarity where I'm at with vehicles over 100k miles.
Could you just replace the bushings on the original control arm?
Yes you could if you have a press tool with the right sized adapters and have the patience to do the job. The new bushings are around half the price of a new control arm with new bushings; and for me, it's not worth the labor time and hassle. It's the same logic with suspension struts; transfer the old springs, spring seat, bellows and strut mount to the new strut or just buy a complete strut?
Without a bushing press tool, I'd rather replace a ready to install control arms since most control arms have one bushing and 1-2 other joint components.
What is the torque spec to the control arm bolts?
Impacted the bolts on tight. Didn't use torque specs.
@Ban-AMT L
My 1999 Solara workshop manual directs the bolts from the control arm into the subframe to be torqued at 135 foot-pounds.
@@michaeldunagan8268 thanks
Too bad in later years for some models (Camry) you have to actually lift the engine 🤦🏻♂️
Yes, you're right ... like the ES350 and Avalon to get to the water pump. But not too much of a hassle using a hydraulic jack with wood blocks to tilt the engine.
AND this is why I'm getting rid of my ES...should be a simple repair bur no.
If you think the ES engine is difficult to work on, you haven't seen nothing till you work on these more modern engines.
@@hardlymovingpro replacing left front control arm requires lifting engine? Wtf. Shame cause this car has been extremely reliable till this.
@@hardlymovingpro
Same way with semi truck engines; I purposely bought an engine before all the Obama era pollution stuff. I also don't have to pay a nickel a mile for the diesel exhaust fluid either.
The price I pay is I have a more maintenance hungry vehicle: the sudden even semi trucks breakdown.
@@christianelzey9703
If you are rich enough to own a Lexus, then you should be able to pay another $160 hour for labor to get it back on the road.
@@hardlymovingpro
A few years ago and I was considering becoming an auto mechanic I was going through the mechanic forums. One particular poster said, and this is like a ten-year-old post when I read it, that today's cars are more complicated and sophisticated than the first space shuttle but that that compensating wages have not kept pace with the newer cars harder to work on.
What is your opinion?
You keep talking about torqueing things up - but then just buzz them up with a rattle gun - that's not torqueing something up! That's blindly over or under tightening something!
Work at a professional auto repair shop then you'll understand the lingo we use.
@@hardlymovingpro If you were acting in a professional manner you would be torqueing fasteners to the correct manufacturers' specifications rather than leaving everything to the rattle gun gods. By incorrectly torquing things you are actually technically invalidating any warranty that might be in place - for the vehicle and the part. But hey-ho "professionals" know more than the engineers that designed the vehicle - don't they...
Watch some videos on how cars are assembled at factories.
@@hardlymovingpro Yes individual stations will have the guns set to the fasteners required for that job.
@@LondonSteveLee And they all over torque the nuts and bolts.